US Financing Its Own Liability: Alvaro Uribe

[Judi Lynn]

US Financing Its Own Liability: Alvaro Uribe
Thursday, 5 February 2009, 10:00 am
Opinion: Jose Maria Rodriguez Gonzalez

United States Latin American policy

Jose Maria Rodriguez Gonzalez
U.S. Foreign Policy Analyst
Part 1: Alvaro Uribe’s paramilitary politics

The paramilitary politics, para-politics, or “parapolítica” - as it is known in Colombia, represents the interests of terrorist paramilitary forces, narco trafficking mafia, and political followers of the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, also branded as Uribeists. While Bush, U.S. fundamentalist conservatives (commonly identified as neocons) and Republicans in general developed a passion for this dangerous blend, Barack Obama – a believer in the rule of law, a human rights advocate, and a pragmatic social activist - seems unlikely to become a member of Uribe’s fan club.

Things to Remember about Alvaro Uribe

Even if Alvaro Uribe states that he has nothing to do with terrorism and narco-trafficking in Colombia, there are many facts that point in a different direction. For instance, Alvaro Uribe’s mother is a cousin of Fabio Ochoa, who is directly associated with the drug mafia known as the “Ochoa Clan.” Pablo Escobar, the renowned mafia chief, was Uribe’s father's best friend. Uribe’s key advisor and his long term confidant, Obdulio Gaviria, was Pablo Escobar’s defense lawyer and Pablo Escobar’s cousin.

The list can go on. President Uribe’s brother, Santiago, and their cousin Mario, were accused of criminal activities, including land stealing. They worked in association with terrorist paramilitaries. Mario Uribe tried to escape from his charges to Costa Rica. After that he was captured and jailed for a short period of time, but then of course, he was released because of the ‘technical’ reasons.

Alvaro Uribe’s family ties to narco-mafia not being enough, many of his current government officials and Uribe’s collaborators have links to crime and drug-traffickers. For example, Jorge Noguera, Uribe’s close friend and his 2002’ presidential campaign manager in Colombia’s north coast, was accused of criminal activities that he committed in association with terrorist narco-paramilitaries.

His crimes were directed at weakening Uribe’s opponents. Instead of investigating these serious accusations against Noguera, the newly elected President Uribe promoted Noguera to a position of the Chief of the Colombia’s Central Intelligence Agency, called “Administrative Department of Security” or DAS (in Spanish). Already as the chief of the national intelligence service, Jorge Noguera was accused in court of providing the lists of union, community and political leaders to the paramilitaries for the purpose of having the former assassinated. To protect his partner again, Uribe named Jorge Noguera as a Consul to the Colombian Consulate in Milan, Italy, this time around. Thanks to president Uribe’s constant advocacy, the law has hard time keeping Noguera in jail.

Maria Consuelo Araújo, a former Uribe Secretary of State, diplomacy chief – is another example. Her father and brother, an uribeist senator, were charged with crimes they committed in association with narco paramilitaries. President Uribe fought to the last resort against Maria Consuelo Araújo’s resignation, despite all the negative consequences to Colombia prestige in this case.

Unbelievable truth, Uribe’s top National Police Chief, General Oscar Naranjo’s brother Juan David Naranjo is in jail in Germany for narco trafficking.

Also, Uribe’s Minister of the Interior and Justice Fabio Valencia Cossio’s brother - Guillermo Valencia Cossio - was jailed for associating with paramilitaries while being a Medellín Prosecutor. Medellín is a large city, the capital of Antioquia Province. It is a region of Alvaro Uribe’s and paramilitary’s great influence. It is important to note that the Interior and Justice Ministry is the second position of power in the government after the president.

~snip~
Manipulation of Domestic Justice by Alvaro Uribe.

Alvaro Uribe’s manipulation of the law, his disrespect, enmity and public attacks against the Supreme Court and the Judiciary branch of power are well known, even worldwide. Last year when the Congress finished its ordinary sessions, Uribe declared an extraordinary Congress session on December 11, 2008. At 3:40 AM the last minute reelection referendum law to benefit Uribe was presented for approval. It allowed Uribe’s to be elected for the third time. Before Uribe came to power, the President was only supposed to do one term. So Uribe twisted the constitution for pure personal interests against all objections.

Uribe’s second re-election was also tainted by his manipulation with the law, corruption and bribes. The former Minister of Interior and Justice and current Ambassador in Italy, Sabas Pretelt, was accused of conspiracy to bribe congressional key members to assure Congressional approval of Uribe’s first re-election. Former MP Yidis Medina is already jailed as participant of the same conspiracy.

Many of President Uribe’s personal friends, who are also Congress members, are investigated, prosecuted or jailed for their association with crimes committed by the paramilitaries. 45 of these suspected congressmen were not allowed by law to vote in Congress. However, President Uribe needed at least 20 of these suspected criminals to vote. So he decided to pass a political reform bill that would allow all of them to vote regardless of whether they were investigated or prosecuted. Thus,

Alvaro Uribe’s government manipulated two Constitutional Court sentences and one Council of State’s to allow the suspected criminal congressmen to vote for Uribe’s political and justice reforms. Uribe’s legal solution in this case was to interpret conspiracy and crimes against humanity equal to the lesser disciplinary offends of those sentences.

More:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0902/S00114.htm

[Peace Patriot]

1. Scoop.co.nz is a great source for alternative American news. Thanks for posting!

Note: A lot of the alternative news analysis and investigation of the 2004 election, here, and other U.S. election fraud information was published first at Scoop, one of the few places it could be published during the Bush Reich. I'm glad to see them on the topic of Colombia. Two true rat holes--Colombia and the U.S. under Bush. No surprise that Uribe and Bush are pals. Vultures of a feather flock together.